Class 805 starts static tests
Construction of new Hitachi units is running to schedule.
THE first of Avanti West Coast’s new fleet of trains has entered static testing at Hitachi Rail’s Newton Aycliffe factory. In an important milestone for the £350m project, carriages from a Class 805 bi-mode train are being coupled together to mark the start of the extensive testing programme ahead of the planned entry into service in 2023. All basic functionality of the train, from brakes to engines, doors to toilets, will be put through their paces prior to the start of dynamic testing later in the year, when the train will move under its own power for the first time.
The new fleet will be a mix of 10 seven-carriage electric trains (Class 807) and 13 five-carriage bi-mode units. The electric-only versions (Class 807) will operate between London, the West Midlands and Liverpool, while the bi-mode units will be focused on the London to North Wales route, allowing Avanti to hand back the diesel-only ‘Voyagers’.